Improved railroad-switch



cited 515cm aient @Wr-c.

Letters Patent No. 93,933, dated August 17, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making prr of the same.

To all zrh'om lit may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIIIM WHARTOX, Jr., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Iniprovement in Railroad-Switches; and I do hereby dcclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention consists of the combination of switchrails with overlapping guard-rails, all arranged, in respect to each other, and to the permanent rails of' the track, substantially as described hereafter, so as to enable me to dispense with the/usual thin, tapering, and objectionable ends of switch-rails; to avoid all wounding of the permanent rails or of the guardrals, for receiving the ends of switch-rails; and -so that the passage ,of lthe car-wheels from the main track to the turnout, and 'vice tersa, may be gradual and easy, and unaccompanied by strains and shocks.

In order to enable othersskilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference'being hadto the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in wl'ch- Figures 1 and lare planviews of my improved switch, showing the switch-rails in diierent positions.

A is one of the rails of the main track, 'and A' the opposite rail, which, by a gradual outward curve, becomes merged into the rail A" of the turnout.

B and B are the switch-rails, which can be moved to the position shown in g. 1, or that seen in iig. 2,.

D an'd D are the guard-rails, bent inward at each end, as shown in the drawing.

These guard-rails, D and D', are, 'at their ends, level, or nearly level with the rails ot' the track; but fromfthe said ends they are gradually inclined upward, so that, toward the middle, they are so far elevated above the switch-rails B and' B', as to allowV the pointed ends of the same to slide underneath,

'and be protected by the said guard-rails, as shown by the dotted lines in the drawing, the supports of the said guard-rails l) and D being so arranged as not to interfere with thefree'reception of the. pointed ends of the switch-rails underneath the guard-rails.

' It will be. evident, therefore, that by this means the guard-rails are not required to be notched in at their sides, to allow the pointed ends of the switch- Arails to set into the recess, as is the usual practice,

but that the side-bearing afforded by them is continuous, and that they, as well as the n iain rails, are not wounded or notched.

As seen in iig. 1, the switch-rail B has been moved away from the rail of the main track, and its end is so overlapped by the guard-rail D, that the outer edge of 'the latter is coincident with the outer edge of the said switch-rail B, at and near the outer end of the same. The opposite switch-rail B is, at its outer end, in

contact with the inner edge of the rail A4, and forms,

with the latter, part of the I nain track, the guard-l rail D being so arranged asv to laterally direct'the carwheels in their proper course, as they pass from the rail A' to the switch-rail B', or vice versa.

It is important that this transfer of the wheels from the main rail to the switch-rail should be effected gradually, and without jars and shocks.

In order to produce this result, it has been the practice to make the switch-rails with long, tapering, and very thin ends, which are liable to be damaged by passing trains, and,fin some cases, it h as been the practice to notch the main rails for receiving the switch-rails, an equally objectionable plan, as the wounding of the main rails should in all cases be avoided.

It will be seeu,.on reference to the drawing, that the switch-rails, although having tapering cnds,t er Inmate abruptly, or in comparatively blunt points.

This leaves a vacancy, as indicated by the red line a, lig. 1, at the junction ot' the switch-rail B and the rail A in other words, the inner edge of the latter railv does' not form a direct continuation of theiner edge of the rail B', owing to the comparatively blunt end of the latter; but the outer edge of the guardrail D is so arranged, and so controls the cars laterally, that the flanges of the wheels, passing from the rail A' o n to the switch-rail, are'uuaifected by the' above-mentioned vacancy, and the treads of the wheels pass from one'rail to the other without any shock or jar.

As the guard-rail D overlaps theA pointed end ot` the opposite switch-rail B in the manner described, the said switch-rail is so entirely out of the way, that it cannot possibly interfere with the functions of the said guard-rail.

It will be evident that the above remarks will api ply to .the rails, when arranged for the siding,Y as shown in g. 2,and that, by my improvement, 1 dispense with the usual but objectionable thin tapering rails, avoid all wounding of the main rails, or of the guard-rails, to receive the ends of switch-rails, and at the same time insure the .gradual and easy passage of the car-wheels from the main track on (to the turnout, and cioe yzfersa..

I claim as my invention, and dcsirc to' secure by Letters Patent-'- The combination of the switch-rails B and B' with the overlapping guard-rails D and D, when arranged in respect to each other, and to the permanent rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

1n testimony whereof, I have. signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. -WHARTON, Jn.

Witnesses: d

vJoram WHITE,

HARRY SMITH. 

